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Why This Author Thinks ‘The Bachelor’ Is Ruining Your Relationships

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It’s a Monday night and you’re watching “The Bachelor.” Season after season you (somewhat) reluctantly return to the reality series, hate-tweeting the endless cheesiness, crazy contestants and over-the-top dates along the way. Still, by the finale’s end, you’re undoubtedly moved by the outlandish proposal and just slightly envious of the size of that Neil Lane diamond ring. One day, you too will have a “Bachelor” moment. All it takes is finding that one person ― your “soulmate,” right?


According to author and philosopher Alain de Botton, you won’t find Mr. or Mrs. Right and will probably end up marrying the wrong person ― but that’s OK. De Botton, who burst onto the literary scene in 1993 with his debut novel, On Love, is an expert at relationships and breaking down the intense emotions and intricacies that accompany falling for someone. So even if you marry Mr. Wrong, you can still make it work if you heed the lessons that lie within de Botton’s newest work, The Course of Love. 


Part novel, part counseling session, The Course of Love is the story of two characters, Rabih and Kirsten, who fumble arguments and struggle through the challenges that go hand in hand with long-term love. De Botton works to correct certain romantic assumptions by weaving instructional passages throughout his story to show the reader how to, in so many words, love better than “The Bachelor.” 


The reader’s first clue that The Course of Love is unlike any old romantic story is evident when, instead of ending the book with a fairytale wedding, his new novel focuses almost entirely on life after the “I do’s.” De Botton skims over the brief courtship, simple proposal and small wedding of his characters Rabih and Kirsten. Instead, de Botton fills pages with agonizingly long and drawn out arguments over little things, like furniture and whether windows should stay open or closed at night. His characters deal with job struggles, an affair, the death of a family member and countless therapy sessions. In de Botton’s words, the book is “very boring, very normal, which is actually how most of our lives go.” 


“It’s an attempt to show two people who are very enthusiastic about love and are very romantic, but nevertheless, don’t really have the first clue how to run a relationship,” de Botton told The Huffington Post in a Skype interview. “It follows them over time and tries to teach the reader as they are taught themselves by their own life experiences. It’s like a sort of ‘life simulator’ that’s trying to spare the reader a bit of time.” 


And in a world full of flash mob marriage proposals and endless reality TV soulmate-searching, De Botton’s novel is different, refreshing and, at times, a little too real. All in all, it’s much better than a show that pretends two months of romantic dinners, sunset cruises and countless vacations is the norm. 


“Things like ‘The Bachelor,’ they’re just playing to the worst impulses in our brains,” de Botton said. “Most of what’s wrong in relationships is not that we haven’t found the right person, it’s just that we don’t know how to manage a relationship. And therefore, shows that keep locating the fundamental problem of love in the idea that you haven’t got the right person, is kind of taking the wrong target.” 


Despite the premise of finding true love, the relationships on the show often crumble after the cameras move on. Many “Bachelor”/“Bachelorette” alums like Andi Dorfman knock this image of a perfect courtship once they’re off the air and detail the real-life struggles with their newly betrothed in candid tell-alls. 


So if we know that many relationships from the show don’t last and ― thanks to the show “UnREAL” ― that basically all of the storylines are fake, why do we still watch? De Botton thinks it’s because “many of the best ideas are not presented to the general public in appealing enough ways.” 


“If you go to a bookstore, the front areas are filled with romance novels that look so appealing ― the covers are nice,” the author said. “And then, somewhere in the back, there are rather thick, intimidating tomes telling you about how not to be avoidant in relationships or whatever it is and you kind of think, ‘Oh. It’s slightly, badly prepared.’”


In terms of real romance in the media, de Botton recommends Richard Linklater’s “Before Midnight” for all of the “recovering romantics” out there ― a term coined by someone at one of de Botton’s book tour talks. The movie, which is part of the “Before” trilogy, depicts the couple having a massive, necessary argument that is rarely seen at that sort of level on the big screen. 


“It shows how badly people behave in relationships by certain kind of standard and, yet, how normal it is to behave badly because there’s so much fear and resentment and feeling and all sorts of things and that’s OK,” de Botton said. “Like a lot of good art, it reassures us that we’re OK, even if we’re a bit tricky. But as I say, there’s not enough good art around and it’s not popular enough. That’s kind of a problem.”  


The Course Of Love
by Alain de Botton
Simon & Schuster, $26.00
Published June 14, 2016


Follow Alain on Twitter, read along on his website, The Book of Life, and be sure to watch his YouTube channel, The School of Life

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Required Reading Classic Gets The Graphic Novel Reboot It Deserves

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You know the story. Maybe you read it for high school English class, and misguidedly used it as the basis for your devil-may-care attitude. Maybe you read it on your own time, reconciling its dark themes with the bubbly twee-filled glee of “Amélie.” Regardless, it’s a story that firmly implanted in the required reading canon ― one that soon-to-be English majors cite in papers across the Western world. 


To bring the sweltering mood of The Stranger to life, and to further explore his own Algerian roots, graphic novelist Jacques Ferrandez adapted Albert Camus’ classic into an illustrated work. We spoke with the writer and artist about Meursault’s chilling character. “While drawing Meursault, I thought of James Dean, who became famous among the young people of his time,” Ferrandez said.


More of his thoughts ― and complete excerpts from his book ― are below. 



You have a familial connection to Camus ― you said in another interview that your grandparents knew his mother. How did this influence your vision of the story?


As a matter of fact, my father’s family came over from Spain, from the same region as Albert Camus’ mother’s family. They ended up in Belcourt, the same district of Algiers where my grandfather, a cobbler, had his shop. It was right in front of the house where Camus grew up as a child and a teenager, and where I was born in 1955.


My grandmother used to tell me that she knew Albert Camus’ mother, that she would meet her when she went to the market, that they would talk in the Spanish dialect that is spoken around Valencia. That is why I was very young when I heard about Albert Camus, the local kid who had become a celebrity in the world of literature and ideas, being awarded the Nobel prize in 1957.


Before this book, you created a graphic version of Camus’ The Guest, and illustrated Algerian history volumes. How does your approach to illustrating fiction differ from illustrating nonfiction?


There is not such a big difference, especially as all these stories take place in the same setting, that of colonial Algeria which I am familiar with, since I was born there and I have visited the country many times. The serial story I did on Algeria is largely fictitious, even though my historical background has to be very thorough and accurate. What matters most is to be driven by one’s plot and character.


When did you first read The Stranger?


I remember reading L’étranger when I was 17 as is customary in France. I even remember that at the time I felt I did not understand that story at all. Everything seemed so bizarre: Meursault’s behavior before and after the killing on the beach, the way he pleaded his cause so awkwardly at the trial, and finally the book’s last sentence when he wishes for the shouts of hatred of a numerous crowd witnessing his execution.


What, to you, is the most important message of the book?


It seems to me that L’étranger is a novel with universal appeal. It has touched many a generation the world over since it appeared in 1942. There is something enigmatic to that book. Even if you read it and re-read it at different periods in your life, you never get a full grasp of its mystery.


The book is about the human condition and also about youth. Camus used to describe Meursault as someone who does not know how to lie. Each new generation can identify with this character. While drawing Meursault, I thought of James Dean, who became famous among the young people of his time with the movie “A Rebel Without a Cause.” He stood for a spirit of rebellion against the Establishment and, generally speaking, against propriety and conventions.



The Stranger is very atmospheric. How did you capture the surreal scenes, and the extreme heat, with your illustration style?


I do not know to what extent I have succeeded, but my intention was to make the reader feel what is happening in a very physical, sensory way. 


The sea, the sun, the elements were extremely important for Camus. The whole story takes place in crushing heat. The outdoor scenes in broad daylight until breaking point and the murder on the beach. And then the indoor scenes with the judge, the lawyer, as well as the long sequence in court.


I don’t hesitate to resort to the set codes of comic strips such as droplets of sweat above the character’s head, for instance, for they enhance the meaning of the image.


The first line of The Stranger is a hotly debated one in French-English translation. Which meaning, or approach, did you wish to convey?


This is one of the most famous sentences in the whole of the world’s literature. One has to take it in the simplest possible way.


I don’t know how it is rendered in the many languages L’Etranger has been translated into. But the aloof, unconcerned attitude Meursault can be reproached with all along the story is denied by this first sentence that the narrator utters. “Today, mum has died” is more affectionate, more direct and natural, it conveys a sense of closeness between Meursault and his mother than “Mother died today,” for instance, would have failed to imply.


But this is a novel about the human condition, written by someone aged 25 or 26 who is aware that he is mortal (Camus was 17 when he learned that he had tuberculosis, and in those days his chances of recovery were slim.) Just as in a roman noir, death pervades the whole novel.


First, it is the death of his mother that Meursault is confronted with. Then the death he brings about later on, almost in spite of himself, on that beach. And eventually the death that befalls him as his punishment by the Justice of Men. While Camus was writing L’Etranger, he was also working on his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus, which deals with the question of suicide in the face of the absurdity of life.


But let’s not forget that before L’Etranger, there was an unfinished novel from which L’Etranger borrows many passages, together with the name of the main character, Mersault, which is the same except for one letter. Its title is La Mort Heureuse (Happy Death), a notion that is to be found in the concluding sentence of The Myth of Sisyphus: “We must assume Sisyphus to be happy.”


Read an excerpt of The Stranger below.


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Meet The Real (Fake) Disney Princesses Of New York

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“I think Cinderella might be there,” my mom whispered while suiting me up for a friend’s birthday party.


My 4-year-old self was giddy with excitement that, despite her normal routine as a two-dimensional cartoon character, Cinderella was going to transform herself into a full-fledged human being for a single afternoon. I don’t remember exactly how this Cinderella in the flesh looked ― whether she was naturally blond or donning a wig, if she chose to wear glass slippers or opted for more practical sneakers. All I remember is the untarnished awe I felt in her presence. She was the real deal. 


Who are the real-life women who spend their work days in a bedazzled tiara, making little kids cry happy tears for around $60 to $80 an hour? Photographer Brian Shumway documented five such princess impersonators in and around New York City. 



On assignment from Refinery29, Shumway opted to capture his subjects in costume and off duty, yielding a visual paradox of fairy tale perfection and urban jungle realness. The Frog Princess strikes a pose outside a Brooklyn laundromat while Princess Jasmine takes her dog for a walk. 


“The portrayal of Disney princesses is always so sweet and saccharine and innocent,” Shumway wrote to The Huffington Post. “I wanted the portraits of the princesses to have a bit of toughness and edge. These princesses are out on the dirty street, not a castle tower. I wanted the princesses to have more character and flavor.”



For a March story accompanying the photographs, Refinery29’s Vanessa Golembewski conducted an interview with each of Shumway’s subjects, delving into the stories behind their unorthodox career choices as well as the perks and pitfalls of the job.


Epiphany Elease, who plays the Frog Princess, expressed the magic moments that make the job worth doing. “[The birthday girl] told me that every day since she saw the movie, she wished that the Frog Princess would come to her party,” she said. “When I came in, she lost her mind, she was so excited. She held onto me for the whole party. For every party where I have one terrible kid who’s like, ‘You’re not real!’ I have one where I made some kid’s birthday awesome.” 



It’s all women, down to the people that pack the boxes [of party supplies]. All women,” Omaris Contreras, the 24-year-old who plays Jasmine, said in reference to the company she works with, Bella Princess. “Oh, wait. We do have Martha’s son. He helps with cleaning.”


Contreras also explained her response to a question she’s often asked on the job: “Well, isn’t the whole princess thing sending the wrong message to little girls?”


“I think Disney is extremely progressive, especially nowadays,” the New Jersey native explained. “You can’t really look back and think Cinderella’s a progressive woman. She’s not. But you do think about the message her movie sends. It’s about dreaming and believing in something and going after it. Of course it’s a guy she’s after, but the message is still there. Chase your dreams. Don’t give up.”


In a world that’s all too often disappointing, disheartening and utterly maddening, it’s nice to know that somewhere in the city there’s a woman in a princess gown talking about fairy dust and inspiring little kids to follow their dreams. 


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These 360 Photos Show What Life Is Like For Refugees

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Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA



Police and refugees on the Greece-Macedonia border. 


Modern 2D photography is a great tool to document the struggles around the world, but sometimes it feels like we only see half of the story.


The following images, taken by HuffPost RYOT with a 360-degree camera, allow us to be immersed in the experience of refugees in different countries. From the war-torn streets of Aleppo, Syria, to the mountains of life vests on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos, these images give us the whole picture and allow us to better tell the stories of those wanting to start new lives. 


Inside a tent in Calais, France. 




Life jackets on the shore of Lesbos, Greece.



Lifeguards in Lesbos - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA



Streets of Aleppo, Syria.




A line for refugees in Greece. 



Greece Refugee Line - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA



Calais, France.




See a rescue in the Mediterranean in the 360 video below: 




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Stunning Plastic Bag Landscapes Will Make You Think Twice About Tossing Your Trash

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Ridges and divots cover a vast, snow-white expanse, an airy landscape primed for exploring. But Vilde Rolfsen’s photos ― which resemble aerial shots of mountain ranges ― aren’t showing nature at all. Just the opposite: Her series “Plastic Bag Landscapes” catalogs waste that she found in the street.  



It’s hard not to make the comparison to the pat “American Beauty” quote, co-opted by snarkers everywhere: “It’s hard to stay bad when there’s so much beauty in the world,” an angry teen remarks while watching a video of a plastic bag dancing in the wind.


But Rolfsen wants viewers to be mad. She says her art may not be overtly political, but she wants her message ― that using plastic bags at stores rather than picking up something reusable is irresponsible ― to be heard. At the bottom of the series shown on her site, she appends the note, “Plastic bags are a huge contributor to the landfill waste and are extremely harmful for our oceans and the creatures living there. Do not say yes to a plastic bag when shopping.”



“I wanted to do a project that would trigger something with the viewers. But everything I did ended up being too propaganda-ish,” Rolfsen said in an interview with The Huffington Post. “I know by personal experiences that it rarely works to tell people what to do. Instead I wanted to work within my field as a fine art photographer, to make people think by themselves.”


While living in the U.K., Rolfsen picked up plastic bags that she found lying on the ground, cleaned them off, lit them up in her studio and photographed them, doing light Photoshop work after the fact. The effect, she hopes, is that of discomfort, as a result of “something human-made, something that actually is destroying our oceans and earth, juxtaposed into a beautiful landscape.”



“When I have exhibited my work, people would come up to me and say, ‘I’ve been looking at this for a while and while it is beautiful I feel disgusted with myself because I now understand what this work is about,’” Rolfsen said. “I think that sums it up pretty nicely.” 


Rolfsen’s particular anger over the wastefulness of plastic bags stems from her move from Norway ― where large, reusable bags are the norm ― to the U.K., where she began the series.


“When I lived in the U.K. they had the plastic bags, which I photographed, and they are useless! They break, you can’t use them for trash, and they are too small. You have to buy an extra roll of bin bags! What a waste!” she said.



Although Rolfsen considers her photography fine art, she takes no issue with her work being categorized as altruistic.


“I think political art is very important today, especially with all the shit going on with the Brexit, Donald Trump, how we treat women and the LGBT community, terror attacks and wars,” she said. “We live in a time where our future is very uncertain, and I think political art has a huge impact on the world.”

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Here's How Quickly Lupita Nyong'o Fell In Love With Her New Movie, 'Queen Of Katwe'

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Lupita Nyong’o read 10 pages of the “Queen of Katwe” script and broke down crying. “I had been so inspired,” Nyong’o says in a new behind-the-scenes look at the movie, premiering exclusively on The Huffington Post. 


“Queen of Katwe” is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a chess prodigy chasing her talents in the slums of Uganda. Nyong’o plays Mutesi’s mother, and David Oyelowo portrays her mentor in the Disney project ― the latest from Mira Nair, who directed “Amelia” and the acclaimed Hindi film “Salaam Bombay!”


Get an inside look at “Katwe” ahead of the movie’s Sept. 23 release in the featurette below.




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Meet The Gay, HIV-Positive New Star Of 'Hamilton' On Broadway

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Javier Munoz knew he had big shoes to fill when he replaced creator-star Lin-Manuel Miranda on July 11 in the title role of Broadway’s unprecedented smash, “Hamilton.” 


For now, Munoz is taking his new gig in stride. The 40-year-old actor, who had been stepping in for Miranda once a week since the show began its run last year, is opening up more personal challenges. In a candid interview with The New York Times, Munoz, who is openly gay, spoke about being both HIV-positive and a cancer survivor. 


“I have been living with HIV since 2002, and I’m undetectable,” Munoz, who also served as Miranda’s alternate in the musical, “In The Heights,” said. “I’m healthy, I’m strong and I’m very out about that because of the stigma still attached to it.”


Many diehard “Hamilton” fans will recall Munoz’s diagnosis with cancer in October 2015. The actor, who missed weeks of performances to undergo radiation treatment, has never divulged what type of cancer he battled. Still, he told the Times that he’s had “a healthy fear about [his] health” ever since he tested positive for HIV and, having taught himself how conduct a self-examination, was able to detect the lump early.  



“I wasn’t immediately worried because of where it was — and I do want to keep that private because that’s the only thing that’s mine in this,” he said. “But I brought it up to my doc, and that’s what led to further testing and discovery.”


Munoz, whom New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley once dubbed the “sexy” Hamilton, initially didn’t want to tell any of his cast mates about his cancer battle. Eventually, he said he “had to own that I needed help, and I had to ask for help, and that was the hardest thing in the world.”


He said he’s received “all green lights” from his doctors in regard to his “Hamilton” run since then. His viral load is undetectable and his cancer screenings have come back negative.  


“I have this joke — if it’s funny or not funny, I don’t know — but the joke is that I have died several times already, and that’s how it feels,” he said. “My life completely and drastically changed in 2002 when I was diagnosed with HIV, and then again last year with cancer. And you can’t unknow what you know.”


These days, he’s just happy to be alive and, “for all intents and purposes healthy and well.”


“I’m grateful for that,” he said. 


H/T The New York Times

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17 Things Every 'Hamilton' Fan Needs To Hear This Week

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Over the weekend, “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda chopped off his hair and said goodbye to Broadway ... for now.


In a waterfall of tears, he, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo bid farewell to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, the home of “Hamilton,” a hip-hop-inspired musical about the Founding Fathers that captured the attention of just about anyone with a penchant for good ol’ theatricality, American history or Biggie Smalls. Ever heard of it?


Judging by the noticeable cloud hanging over Twitter following Sunday’s performance, “Hamilton” fans are taking the news pretty hard. To ease your pain, dear Hamilgrams, here are all the things you need to hear this week, so you can go from Crying Lin-Manuel Miranda to this:



1. Lin, Leslie and Phillipa left, but the show will go on! 


Let’s begin with the most important thing “Hamilton” fans need keep in mind this week: the show’s not over. In fact, the show will probably dominate Richard Rodgers Theatre for some time. Think of “Phantom of the Opera,” which started its run in 1988 and hasn’t stopped since. Could “Hamilton” see over 10,000 shows in its future? Possibly. Booking your tickets for a 2017 or even 2018 performance might not be such a bad idea.




2. There are new cast members. And, yes, they are patiently waiting to smash all your expectations.


Sure, a few of the original cast members are leaving the show. But this just means loyal fans have something to look forward to in the form of at least three new cast mates ― most notably, Tony-nominated Brandon Victor Dixon as Aaron Burr, Lexi Lawson as Eliza Schuyler, and Michael Luwoye as an alternate Alexander Hamilton. 






3. For those fans not ready to let go — we still have Lafayette!


Also known as Daveed Diggs, who also plays Thomas Jefferson. Diggs renewed his contract, along with Tony-winning actress Renee Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. Lafayette 4eva, though.



4. “Sexy” Alexander Hamilton is here to stay.


Before stepping into Miranda’s boots officially, Javier Muñoz served as the star’s alternate, reprieving him of his duties every Sunday. And apparently, he did so with a swagger that has not gone unnoticed. “Alexander Hamilton is sexy on Sundays,” The New York Times reported. Also of note: Miranda might have cut his locks this weekend, but Muñoz is definitely still rocking a ponytail. Long live ponytails.



5. Your “Hamilton” creator won’t stop tweeting any time soon, so it’ll be like he never left!


Right? Miranda’s account is a literal wealth of inspiration, from roughly 7 a.m to 1 a.m. Here’s a light suggestion for you, Miranda: I vote for more photos of dogs.



6. Bonus: According to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lin-Manuel Miranda will likely come back to “Hamilton” at some point. 


In his own words: “I have written this insane part that I can’t seem to get tired of, that is new every night ... I think this is a role I will be going back to again and again. I know it feels like the end of the world to a very small number of people now, but I plan to revisit this role a lot. “



7. Ham4Ham will continue. THERE WILL BE HAM4HAM.


Rory O’Malley, aka King George III, will be hosting. Take a deep breath, you’ll still get your “Ham”-inspired lunch break entertainment for the foreseeable future.





8. And so will the lottery.


Never give up on your dream of waiting in line (or online) all day to be rejected once again getting a “Hamilton” ticket! And remember: you can always try the cancellation line






9. Chicagoans need only wait until September before “Hamilton” mania is upon them.


This is big. A whole new Chicago-based cast will begin “Hamilton” performances at the PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago on Sept. 27. This is not a drill, Illinois. You are getting your very own show. “’Hamilton’ will run in Chicago as long as there’s a market for it,” Lou Raizin, president of Broadway in Chicago, explained, “so it’s not a matter of if you get a ticket, but simply when.”




10. A PBS documentary is going to let us go behind the scenes of “Hamilton.” It’ll be here in October.


Behind. The. Scenes. “Hamilton’s America” will be part of PBS’s “Great Performances” schedule this fall. Want a teaser? Of you do:



Audiences will sit with Miranda as he composes songs in Aaron Burr’s Manhattan bedroom. They’ll take a trip to Virginia with Chris Jackson — the African-American actor who portrays George Washington — and watch him place a wreath on Washington’s grave, as he discusses the difficulty of grappling with our founders’ legacy of slavery.  Back in New York, Miranda and Leslie Odom, Jr. — who plays Aaron Burr — visit the Museum of American Finance to get their hands on some 19th-century dueling pistols and stage a quick re-enactment.





11.  The “Hamilton” mixtape is coming out this November.


Questlove is producing it. QUESTLOVE. Who’s on it? “Busta Rhymes, Ben Folds, Regina Spektor, Latifah, Common, Chance the Rapper and others,” Questlove told Vanity Fair. And Lin tweeted this:






12. “Hamilton” is going national this coming spring. America, get ready.


Come Spring 2017, a touring “Hamilton” cast will head to the following cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Costa Mesa, Denver, Des Moines, Houston, Las Vegas, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tempe. 


All you New York fans: who’s up for a road trip?



13. Oh, and the production is headed to London in the fall of 2017.


All you New York fans: who’s up for an overseas trip?



14. Kids, kids, kids, kids, kids — the #EduHam program is expanding.


Around 100,000 students across the country will probably see “Hamilton” before you do, thanks to a Rockefeller Foundation initiative lovingly called EduHam. But that’s definitely OK. Miranda’s commitment to arts education is just another reason we love him.



15. We have so many Miranda-related projects to look forward to — including a Disney film.


Or two





16. Finally, at the end of the day, you can look forward to the movie version of “Hamilton.” It just might take a decade or two.


According to Miranda himself, a film version of “Hamilton” will happen “someday.” We just might be waiting awhile ― “like, 20 years.”







17. Plus, we’ll always have the Rose Garden. guys.




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What To Expect From Javier Muñoz, AKA The New 'Hamilton'

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There’s a new Alexander Hamilton on the Great White Way.


Lin-Manuel Miranda ended his run as the title character on July 9, handing over the role to his long-time understudy and fellow Puerto Rican actor Javier Muñoz. 


“I think we all were just taking stock of how special the journey’s been,” Muñoz told The Huffington Post. “We’ve been through so much together as a cast and to arrive at the day when we’re finally really reaching a big transition, it’s cathartic and it’s beautiful and momentous. We are a family, so a lot of love.”


During Miranda’s farewell party following the performance Saturday night, the 40-year-old spoke with HuffPost about what he’ll be bringing to the role and how long he plans to portray the nation’s first Treasury secretary.






”Javilton,” as Muñoz has been dubbed, is no stranger to this kind of transition. Muñoz served as Miranda’s understudy for “In The Heights,” later taking over as the show’s lead in 2009


Muñoz, who previously filled in for Miranda one night per week, will also have a weekly understudy, Michael Luwoye.


“Any sort of suggestions or team work to tackle the role, [Lin and I] had those conversations long ago,” Muñoz said about preparing to take on the lead role seven nights a week. “And at this point it’s what works best for the individual, for energy and stamina and such.”


Though Muñoz told HuffPost that while the Alexander Hamilton he and Miranda shaped will essentially remain the same, there are bound to be some small differences.






“I feel like the blueprint and the core of the character is built by the both of us, we rehearsed together, so it’s consistent,” he said. “I think any growth that I will be able to offer is going to be just because of who I am as an individual, that’s the gift of the artist. Everyone is unique and can bring their uniqueness to the role. It’s still at the core the same Hamilton but it’s just going to be with whatever I bring to it from what I know and what I’ve lived through and what I can offer.”


As for how long Muñoz will portray Hamilton, the Boricua joked:


“I will stay as long as they will have me. Until I get to play the King.”

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Black Woman In Iconic Photo Describes Her Arrest As 'Work Of God'

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The black woman in the photograph stands in calm protest, her long dress fluttering in the breeze as two policemen clad in the heavy black padding and helmets of riot gear rush to remove her from a roadway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.


Officers took about 180 people into custody over the weekend in the state capital, mostly on misdemeanor charges accusing them of blocking traffic on a major thoroughfare during protests over recent police shootings of black men.


But the standoff with one woman, identified by friends as Ieshia Evans and captured in a widely used image by Reuters freelance photographer Jonathan Bachman, has encapsulated for some the spirit of demonstrators across the United States protesting in the past week what they decry as unjust treatment of minorities by police.


“You’ll be seeing this iconic photo from #BatonRouge & versions of it, for the rest of your life,” a man named David Law said on Twitter on Monday.



The Atlantic magazine called the image, which prompted comments on social media from around the world, “a single photo from Baton Rouge that’s hard to forget.” The Washington Post said it “captured a critical moment for the country,” while Britain’s Daily Mail website called it “an iconic arrest photo.”


Evans is a licensed practical nurse who lives in Pennsylvania, according to online records and a Facebook page that appears to belong to her.


“This is the work of God,” she wrote on Facebook after her arrest. “I am a vessel! Glory to the most high! I’m glad I’m alive and safe.”


Baton Rouge has become a flashpoint for protesters after Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed last week by city police who were responding to a call that he had threatened someone with a gun outside a convenience store where he was selling CDs.


Sterling’s death, followed by the fatal shooting of another black man, Philando Castile, 32, near St. Paul, Minnesota, revived a wave of protests over police treatment of minorities that has swirled for two years and given rise to a movement called Black Lives Matter.


‘MAKING HER STAND’


Evans, the mother of a 5-year-old boy, traveled to Baton Rouge “because she wanted to look her son in the eyes to tell him she fought for his freedom and rights,” according to R. Alex Haynes, who said on Facebook he had known Evans since childhood.


A jail log from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office showed an Ieshia Evans, 35, was booked on a charge of simple obstruction of a highway and had been released from custody.


Reuters could not reach Evans for comment on Monday.


Bachman said police had cleared a group of protesters, including members of the New Black Panther Party carrying bullhorns and shotguns, from the road before Evans walked onto the highway and stood before a wall of officers. Her face bore no expression and she did not speak, he said.


“To me, it seemed like she was making her stand and she was like, ‘You’re going to have to come and get me,’” the photographer said in an interview.


Bachman said the officers grabbed Evans and hurried her away, with the whole incident lasting only about 30 seconds.


After her arrest, Evans ended another Facebook post with, “Peace, love, blk power! ‪#‎blacklivesmatter.” She asked friends not to give interviews on her behalf, saying she wanted to tell her own story, but said later she was not ready to speak to reporters.


“I want to get home to my son,” she wrote. “I’ve been through a lot.”


(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Additional reporting by Melissa Fares and Amy Tennery in New York and Bryn Stole in Baton Rouge, La.; Editing by Frances Kerry and Peter Cooney)

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HuffPost Black Voices Presents: BARS

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How Prince Helped Misty Copeland Realize Her ‘Full Potential'

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Throughout his life and career, Prince was known for lifting up the women around him. He employed female engineers and producers when there were even fewer of them than there are today. He empowered and mentored female artists. But he didn’t limit his gift of empowerment to the musical field.


In 2009, the ballerina Misty Copeland got a call from none other than Prince. Back then, Copeland was still years away from becoming the first black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She was, to put it simply, not yet Misty Copeland


Nonetheless, Prince identified Copeland as the dancer he wanted for the music video for his 2009 song “Crimson and Clover.” She said yes, performed in the video, then joined him on tour, too. In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, Copeland explained what it meant to be hand-picked by such a musical juggernaut ― and how it changed her belief in herself.


“I began to understand my full potential,” Copeland said. 


“I had times when, as an African-American woman, I felt that I didn’t belong in the ballet world,” she added. “Having someone say, ‘I trust you and your talent,’ was all it took to start feeling like I could be in control of my career and make things happen on my own.”


That was just Prince. Empowering women throughout his life, selflessly trying to help bring up the many artistic geniuses around him. 


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Lin-Manuel Miranda's Genius Move After Every ‘Hamilton’ Show

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If anyone knows a thing or two about not throwing away his shot, it’s “Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda.


The show raked in $32 million in advance ticket sales (as in before it even opened). Miranda received a MacArthur “Genius” Grant for the production last year. He won a Pulitzer Prize in January and a Grammy in February. And the show took home 11 Tony awards last month. 


Miranda’s fans even think he’s so great they want him to run for political office. So how does he manage it all?







“Eight hours of sleep ― or as many as you can get,” he told HuffPost President and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington.


When it comes to your voice and your sleep, there is no substitute, he explains. And he’s totally on cue.


Even as little as one night of not getting enough shuteye can make you more clumsy and more likely to have an accident. It will also make you more likely to catch a cold, more likely to overreact when something doesn’t go right and more likely to have memory problems and trouble focusing. Arguably all of those things could be deal breakers when it comes to giving a good performance.  


Miranda knows all of that. He may have learned the lesson from Alexander Hamilton himself, who made some of his worst decisions when he was burned out and sleep deprived.


Watch the video above to hear more from Miranda about prioritizing sleep.


Sarah DiGiulio is The Huffington Post’s sleep reporter. You can contact her at sarah.digiulio@huffingtonpost.com. 

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These Epic 360-Degree Photos Will Make You Feel Like You're On Vacation

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Under typical circumstances, we would never advise using a screen in order to take a break from the daily grind. 


But these surreal 360-degree photos are one VERY stunning exception. 


The photos below were captured with technology that allows viewers to toggle around the screen for panoramic views that feel similar to looking through virtual reality goggles. From Alaska to Cuba, these postcards from around the planet are a perfect way to take a vacation at your desk while basking in the wonder of our wide, wide world. Take a look!


1. Dive with dolphins in Bimini, Bahamas.



25 - Dolphin Project - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA



2. Tour Portage Glacier in Alaska.




3. Take a walk on Sunset Beach in Oahu, Hawaii.




4. Hang out by the water in Havana, Cuba.




5. Stand in the middle of Times Square, New York.




6. Tour Petra in Jordan.




7. Kayak around Surprise Glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska.



waterboat - alaska - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA


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Katy Perry Drops New Olympics Single 'Rise' At The Perfect Moment

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We haven’t heard a peep from Katy Perry since she dropped “Prism” nearly three years ago in all its misguided sunflower aesthetic/cultural appropriative glory. Now, Perry has returned in a big way with her new single “Rise,” an anthem the world needs right now. 


The song will be used throughout NBC’s 2016 Rio Olympics coverage to provide a soundtrack to beach volleyball or swimming or whatever other sports people play in the summer. 


At 11 p.m. on Thursday, Perry tweeted out a link to the single, which is exclusively available to stream on Apple Music or download on iTunes, alongside the cover art. 


“TOGETHER WE #RISE,” she wrote. 






In a statement released on Friday, Perry said the song has been “brewing inside me for years.”


“I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite,” she said. “I know that together we can rise above the fear — in our country, and around the world. I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be. I hope this song can inspire us to heal, unite, and rise together. I am honored that NBC Olympics has chosen to use it as an anthem before and during the Rio Games.”


Perry made sure to mention that the song is not the lead single for her next album, but instead an “amuse bouche” that’s still “yummy to ur tummy tho.”


Watch the music video for the track below: 




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Artists Around The World Respond To Devastating Attack On Nice

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On July 14, a truck drove into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, leaving at least 84 people dead and 50 others in critical condition. “Horror has again struck France,” French President Francois Hollande said in an address following the attack. 


As we struggle to make sense of the world we live in, where cruel and calculated acts of violence are becoming more and more commonplace, sometimes a simple image can express what language cannot.


Artists and cartoonists around the world are creating stunning images in solidarity with Nice. Their heartbreaking works speak in a tongue we can all understand, using the simplest means to express immense feelings of grief, disbelief and hope. 













La baie des Anges+

A photo posted by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (@jcdecastelbajac) on





Nice ❤️

A photo posted by Soledad Bravi (@soledadbravi) on





When will barbarians stop .... This drawing is from a year ago and still accurate ...

A photo posted by andre saraiva (@baronandre) on























































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A New Chinese Superman Is Busting Stereotypes About What A Hero Looks Like

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It’s a bird ... It’s a plane ... It’s ... definitely not your typical Superman. 


The first issue of DC Comics’ series, “New Super-Man,” was released in stores on Wednesday. The series features teen Kenan Kong as its hero and a unique one he is. Kong actually hails from Shanghai. What’s more, the series is set in China. 



Gene Luen Yang, the writer, told the Huffington Post that through the series, he hopes to show that diversity has a place in the superhero comic sphere. 


“The broader goal is to show that a character of any color, a hero of any kind of background can be compelling ― can be somebody that anybody can identify with,” Yang said. 


As Yang explained to HuffPost, Kong starts off as bit of a jerk, to put it lightly. However after gaining powers, he transforms both physically and morally. The character evolution, the writer said, derives inspiration from the original “Superman” as well as themes he’s observed in Asian storylines. 



“I wanted it to resonate to two different things: Number one is the American Superman. If you read early issues ... he was kind of a jerk. He was a bully of bullies. As the decades went on, he transformed into the moral compass that we all think of today,” Yang said. “The second thing is ―there are a lot of Asian stories and Chinese stories in particular that are about somebody conquering their self.” 


Weaving Chinese cultural details into the series has taken some work. While some may think he’s an “insider” to Chinese culture, Yang was born in the U.S., and needed to do some digging to capture the experiences of someone living in China.



Yang said that so far, he’s received a lot of support from people across the web who are excited about an Asian superhero. And we have to say, we’re definitely in that boat, too.


Check out a preview of the series below: 






Check out the “New Super-Man #1” here. 

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7 Novels About Transformative Summers That Will Take You Away

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Summers take on a different kind of sheen once one completes the traditional September-June school schedule. Whereas hot seasons of our youth signified freedom, endless days, drippy ice pops and hours of nothingness punctuated by the drone of a sad ceiling fan, the 9-to-5 jobs of most adults’ lives don’t take a break when the weather gets warm. 


What’s a professional to do, other than aggressively cram beachy days and outdoor-drinking nights into the weekends? Picking up one of these seven tomes for your commute or book club may alleviate summer FOMO. If July and August seem like they’ll be business as usual, take a dive into a refreshing world that’s not your own. 



This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki


Sure, you could finish Mariko Tamaki’s graphic novel of a young girl’s summer at her family’s lake house in one golden afternoon, but this is one you’ll want to come back to again and again. The book, illustrated by Tamaki’s cousin Jillian, is a breathtaking chronicle of a whirlwind coming-of-age story. Seeing Rose teeter between girl- and womanhood will remind readers of their own halcyon summer break days.



The Vacationers by Emma Straub


This novel is ideal for the slightly cynical city dweller who’s conned into sitting at a pool or beach in the name of merriment. The Post family journeys from Manhattan to Mallorca for what should be a relaxing trip — but, of course, the confluence of so many personalities under the same roof eventually leads to some abrasiveness. Watching those conflicts play out, and waiting for the teenaged Sylvia to get some alone time with her Spanish tutor, make the read quick and delicious.



Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead


Benji doesn’t quite fit in his elite, mostly white prep school in 1980s Manhattan, and an admission of his love for a horror magazine keeps him firmly in the uncool camp. He finds his place, however, when returning to his family home among other upper-class African-American families on Sag Harbor. This endearing and fiercely written novel by Colson Whitehead is a coming-of-age tale with a crescendo right around Labor Day, where all good summer stories must inevitably end. 



Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont


Though Julia Pierpont’s novel doesn’t solely take place over one summer, the annual break from school does allow Deb, a mother and a wife who has recently had to confront her husband’s extensive infidelity, to escape with her children to a ramshackle summer house in Rhode Island. Due to the unusual structure of the story, the reader is, for better or worse, aware of how the characters’ stories will turn out in the end; the scenes set in the summer house connect a fractured family from point A to B, and show how things can continue after a trauma and the acceptance that nothing can be the same again. 



Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore


This read is for anyone who spent their lower- or middle-class upbringing daydreaming about what it’d be like to have a sprawling, secluded family estate, if only for some time. When Genevra invites college friend Mabel to her centuries-old family estate for the summer, the latter’s world opens up. For the first time, Mabel experiences how the other half lives ― but, of course, the closer she gets, the harder it becomes to extricate herself when things go awry. 



The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson 


Phaedra and Dionne are sisters living in 1980s Brooklyn — until their mother, an AIDS nurse who feels she can no longer give the girls proper attention, sends them to live with her mother in Bird Hill, a neighborhood in Barbados. Each sister finds a way to test the limits of their matriarch for the summer, growing and slowly adjusting to the new rhythm of their lives. 



Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe


What’s a dad to do when he’s recently become more involved with his 17-year-old daughter’s life and she suffers a mental break of viral proportions at a high school party? Take her to Lithuania, naturally. In this novel, Thorpe tells the story of an unforgettable summer, alternating between the teenage Vera’s insightful, unique letters to her boyfriend Fang back home and her father’s narration. The inexplicable magic of travel — and of Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, resplendent in history and baroque architecture — are present on nearly every page.

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Pup Posing For Adoption Pics Can't Help But Be Adorably Awkward Self

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This Chihuahua knows how to work it for the puparazzi.


A shelter pooch has finally found a home thanks to a series of photos that anyone who has taken a middle school yearbook picture can relate to.



The 4-month-old Chihuahua-mix was found wandering the streets and was brought to San Francisco Animal Care & Control by a good Samaritan in June. When the pup — whom the shelter named Carpe Diem — was having difficulty getting adopted, the shelter set up a photo shoot with a volunteer photographer named Kelly Winquist to help the little guy out.



“[Photos have] a tremendous impact!” Deb Campbell, a rep for SFACC, told The Huffington Post. “Being able to showcase the shelter animals in beautiful – and yes, sometimes funny – photos inspires people to visit the shelter to adopt, even from distant cities.”


But when it was time for the outgoing, sweet and quirky C.D. to give the camera FACE, things got wonderfully whacky instead:



“Seeing his silly nature makes people smile, and the photos captured that,” Campbell said of the dog that was named Carpe Diem because he always seizes the opportunity to make people grin. “Who doesn’t like a smile in their day? Carpe Diem gave us that little gift every day during his stay with us.”



The shelter posted the pictures of the teeny-tiny tyke to their Twitter page on July 11 and got a tremendous response — over 2,000 likes and and a thousand re-tweets. The post also caught the attention of an adopter who had gotten a dog from SFACC before.


On July 13, Carpe Diem was taken home by this veteran adopter and got a new and equally endearing name.



“His new name is Turbo and he has a brother named Jenkins,” Campbell said.


If you’re interested in adopting a one-of-a-kind canine or cat of your own Campbell says SFACC has plenty more looking for forever homes.


If you live or will be in the San Francisco area on July 23, SFACC is participating in a national campaign with NBC called “Clear The Shelters” in which all of its animals will be available for adoption at no charge.


For more information on SFACC and its adoptable pets, visit their website, here.

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Gay Talese Promotes New Book He Promised Not To Promote On 'Late Night'

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Talk about unreliable narrators.


On June 30, The Washington Post reported that nonfiction writer and journalist Gay Talese had disavowed his new book, The Voyeur’s Motel, after The Post found factual holes in the reporting. Talese pledged not to promote the book, saying, “How dare I promote it when its credibility is down the toilet?” 


Then, on Thursday night, the author appeared on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” resplendent in a sapphire suit and singing a very different tune.


“The Washington Post was wrong,” he told host Seth Meyers flatly. 


The Voyeur’s Motel, which hit bookstores on July 12, centers on the Colorado man Gerald Foos, who reportedly spied on guests at a motel he owned and operated near Denver over the span of three decades from the late ‘60s to the mid-‘90s. Foos kept journals describing his observations, and he provided Talese access to his writings when the two met in 1980. (Talese also visited the motel and viewed guest rooms through the spy holes.)


The Washington Post reported that property records revealed Foos actually didn’t own the motel from 1980 to 1988, a fact that didn’t jibe with the timeline presented in The Voyeur’s Motel. Talese’s immediate response to those findings was to strongly distance himself from the book, saying, “I should not have believed a word [Foos] said.” 


The next day, however, the author backtracked. In a statement from his publisher, Grove Atlantic, he said, “Let me be clear: I am not disavowing the book and neither is my publisher. If, down the line, there are details to correct in later editions, we’ll do that.” 


On “Late Night,” Talese went into more detail about why he is standing behind the book after his initial comments. “The next day, I called the guy who bought the motel from [Gerald Foos], and he said, ‘No no, I bought the motel from Gerald Foos, but he still had access to it. He had the key.’” During the initial interview with The Washington Post, he explained, “I overreacted.” 


In case anyone didn’t get the message, Talese doesn’t think the credibility of The Voyeur’s Motel is down the toilet. Oh, and he’s certainly going to continue promoting it. 

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